Des Moines bucket list

I had a good friend ask me what there is to do in Des Moines, the answer . . . everything! While that may seem like an exaggeration, there really is lots to do, so here's a list comprised of the things I've done this summer! 

#1: Iowa Cubs game at Principals Park

#2: Zombie Burger + Drink Lab

#3: West Glen bar scene

• Shotgun Betty's — country bar, spent a couple nights tearing it up on the dance floor!
• Wellman's — great patio, not so great food with the exception of the chicken quesdilla
• Saint's — neat patio

#4: Downtown bar scene

• El Bait Shop — largest selection of beer on tap. Added bonus of being close to principal park. 
• Beer Can Alley — another great country bar. Has an awesome back patio, which is must better suited for dancing. 
• The Exchange — a unique set-up where the price of drinks fluctuates based on popularity like the stock exchange. 
• Micky's Irish Pub — I can only speak for the patio, but it was fun. 

#5: Ledges State Park

#6: ZooBrew

#7: Tasty Taco

#8: AnkenyFest

#9: Downtown Farmers Market

#10: Drive-in theater — Newton, Iowa

#11: Walnut Woods State Park

#12: World Pork Expo

#13: The art festival

#14: Fongs — complete with Kamikaze shots

#15: Cemetery in middle of a round-about

#16: Timberwood campground

#17: Mini-golfing

#18: Yankee doodle pops

#19: Dog Park

#20: High Trestle Trail bridge

#21: Go-kart racing

#22: Jordan Creek mall

#23: Gray's Lake

#24: Bike trails

#25: Swimming

#26: Concert in Wells Fargo arena - Alice Cooper/Motley Crue

#27: Third Thursday's — After work bonding with my co-workers

• Draught House 1908 — Not only is the location ideal (quarter mile away from the office) but the food and the patio are fantastic here!
• ChickenCoop — food was decent, beer selection was just o.k.
• Jethro's — on top of having fabulous barbecue, and a back quasi-patio patio, they also have a very unique drink selection and possibly the best nachos! 
• OverTime — you can count on a decent selection of Iowa beers here
• Cattoor's on Grand — a must see dive bar. Good for karaoke and pool with friends. 

#28: DMACC pond — complete with a fountain! Good for fishing, I wouldn't recommend swimming. 

#29: Breweries 

• Firetrucker Brewery
• Rock Bottom Brewery

#30: Plaza Mexico — Awesome Mexican food, good margaritas, and the best FREE dessert!

There it is folks! Hopefully I haven't forgotten anything, but if have look for it in a later post! Des Moines is any young professionals dream! It's a big city, no denying that, but it feels small, and there is always something to go do!

Just a girl and her camera

To say 10 weeks has gone by fast would be an understatement. I started my last weekend in Des Moines on an adventure, because anything less would have been a waste. My friends and co-workers joke that I am the Iowa expert, despite only being here for a few weeks. There in lies my advantage. I didn't want to miss out on experiencing Des Moines, and my mission has been successful thus far!

I skipped the cartoons Saturday morning, and instead headed north to Ledges State Park. Because of the recent volumes of rain, the road is blocked off, so with my Chaco's strapped on, my tri-pod and camera in hand, I hiked in.

Because my friends were also on adventures of their own, it was up to the self-timer on my camera to capture snapshots of me! This was a challenge in and of itself. There's an art to figuring out the distance,  the poses, and then all the technical aspects to actual photo itself. While I got many odd looks, it was surprisingly fun perfecting the technique.

The fun didn't end there, a good friend was having a house-warming cookout, which turned into Val eating four ears of corn on the cob (with no regrets). Yard games, card games, and a midnight swim made for a pretty great night.

Speaking of adventures, today was the perfect day to get my photography website and Facebook pages started. While it was a good learning experience, it isn't hard for me to see how some of these "easy to use" websites frustrate people.

Little of this, little of that

You know that feel-good high you get after listening to a motivational speaker, or attending a worship conference? A meeting with peers on how to better connect with consumers about where their food comes from and how it's grown... results in the same effect.

It's no secret that agriculture is my passion, but things that one person might be passionate about are not always shared by those around. For instance ... the world cup. I cheered on the US when they played, but I didn't really follow all the other teams, and I couldn't name off who the best and worst players were. For many, that's how they feel about agriculture, there are too many moving parts and pieces.

It has been brought to my attention that as of late I've been a little lax with keeping up on my blogging. Being busy is no excuse, because who isn't these days. As many of you may or may not know I've spent my summer in Iowa doing an internship for an integrated communications agency. Both my days at work and my evenings and weekends have been filled with learning, fun and adventure, which is going to leave me spending the next few posts playing catch-up. That in mind, I need to continue to play my role in being a touch point for consumers. Stay tuned!